ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 23, 1996 TAG: 9602230036
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
Surrounded by its past and future, Virginia continued to suffer through the present Wednesday night at University Hall.
With centers Ralph Sampson and Melvin Whitaker at courtside, favored UVa led by 12 points in the first half before falling to 23rd-ranked Georgia Tech 84-75 in men's basketball.
One-time good-luck charm Bruce Hornsby, a big man in the music industry, also was on hand as the Cavaliers lost their third game in a row and fell to 11-13 overall and 5-9 in the ACC. Virginia is 0-9 against teams in The Associated Press' Top 25.
UVa led 36-32 at halftime, the ninth time in 14 conference games it has been ahead at the half. Last season, when the Cavaliers were 12-4 in conference play, they led only six games at the half.
``We used to get stronger as the game went on,'' Virginia coach Jeff Jones said Thursday. ``We would wear people down. That's not happening anymore. We're not a physical team. Our point guard [Harold Deane] is our most physical player.''
On a night when Georgia Tech's vaunted backcourt of Stephon Marbury and Drew Barry combined for 12 points, emerging star Matt Harpring had 30 points and unheralded center Eddie Elisma had 22 points and 14 rebounds.
Sampson, a three-time national player of the year for UVa in the early 1980s, could have taken the floor on his 35-year-old, arthritic knees and at least slowed Elisma. Even Hornsby, a one-time center for Blair High School in Williamsburg, might have been able to hold him to fewer than 20 points.
The Cavaliers' best chance of stopping Elisma might come next season, when Whitaker is scheduled to begin his college career. He has met NCAA academic standards and has moved to Charlottesville, where he will work until he begins classes in the fall.
Elisma did most of his damage on the offensive boards, taking advantage of UVa's inability to put a body on him. The Cavaliers did not have an answer for Harpring, who was a recruiting afterthought in 1994 despite playing with Yellow Jackets coach Bobby Cremins' son, Bobby III, at the Marist School in Atlanta.
``He's a great story,'' Cremins said, ``but, I promise you, I went back there and had to kiss his butt.''
At 6 feet 7 and 230 pounds, Harpring repeatedly took 6-6, 187-pound UVa freshman Courtney Alexander into the lane and shot over him. When the Cavaliers put center Chris Alexander on Harpring, Harpring either shot 3-pointers or drove around him.
``Courtney, when he gets tired, is a terrible defender,'' Jones said. ``And, he knows it. I guess it's criticism, but I say that as an evaluation. He certainly understands it better and values it more than he did two months ago.
``By being better in that area, he's been able to get a little bit more [playing] time, which has helped him get more comfortable and score more points. If somebody's a great scorer, if he'll just play a little defense, you can afford to leave him in the game.''
Alexander continued to blaze offensively, finishing with 28 points - his fourth game with 20 or more in the past five. He hit 10 of 18 shots from the field had personal highs for 3-pointers made (three) and attempted (six).
Sophomore guard Curtis Staples had a season-high 22 points, giving him back-to-back 20-point games for the first time as a collegian. Staples was 4-of-9 from 3-point range and now has 174 in his career - five short of the school record held by John Crotty.
``I definitely wasn't aware of that,'' said Staples, who was 9-of-16 from the floor. ``Everything else overshadows that. I think we're playing better as a team and I'm getting into the flow, but it still hurts because we're losing.''
The Cavaliers' offensive efficiency, 75 points in 63 possessions, was their best of the season in a loss. It just so happened Georgia Tech (17-10, 10-3) shot 71 percent in the second half and 53.4 for the game.
``You've got to look - and this is easier said than done - at the improvement,'' Jones said. ``Anyone who looks at our basketball team over the last three games and doesn't think we're getting better has to be out of their minds.''
SIGHTS SET
Virginia basketball player Curtis Staples, a sophomore from Roanoke, is nearing the school record for 3-point field goals in a career. Following are the Cavaliers' all-time leaders:
Position Player Years 3 pt. made
1. John Crotty 1987-91 179
2. Curtis Staples* 1994-96 174
3. Harold Deane* 1995-96 173
4. Cory Alexander 1991-95 142
5. Richard Morgan** 1985-89 132< * Active ** Played 1985-86 season without 3-point line
LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: headshot of Staplesby CNB